Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अत: परं प्रवक्ष्यामि सर्व विविधमिन्द्रियम्‌ । आकाशं प्रथम भूत॑ श्रोत्रमध्यात्ममुच्यते

Transliteration

ataḥ paraṁ pravakṣyāmi sarva-vidham indriyam | ākāśaṁ prathama-bhūtaṁ śrotram adhyātmam ucyate ||

Translation

قال فايُو: «والآن سأبيّن، على اختلاف وجوهه، نظام الحواسّ. فالفضاء/الأثير (ākāśa) يُعلَن أولَ العناصر، والسمع (الأذن) يُقال إنه القوة الباطنة الموافقة له».

Word by Word

अतःtherefore; from this point

परम्further; next

प्रवक्ष्यामिI shall explain

सर्वम्all

विविधम्varied; manifold

इन्द्रियम्sense-organ; faculty

आकाशम्ether; space

प्रथमम्first

भूतम्element; being

श्रोत्रम्ear; organ of hearing

अध्यात्मम्in relation to the self; the inner (aspect)

उच्यतेis said; is called

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Indriya (sense faculty)

Ākāśa (space/ether)

Śrotra (hearing/ear)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse begins an adhyātma-style exposition linking the cosmic elements (bhūtas) with corresponding sense faculties (indriyas): ākāśa (space/ether) is presented as the first element, and hearing (śrotra) as its inner correlate—implying that understanding and disciplining the senses is part of spiritual knowledge.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is speaking and announces a systematic explanation of the senses in their various forms. He starts the sequence by naming ākāśa as the first element and identifying śrotra (hearing) as the corresponding adhyātma (inner/spiritual) faculty.